The Tar Heels added a major piece to their 2017 recruiting class on Thursday night, with Florida native C.J. Cotman pledging his future to the program in Chapel Hill.

Cotman is a four-star athlete prospect who hails from Clearwater Central Catholic. He is rated as one of the top-20 athlete prospects in the nation, and was recruited by many of the nation’s top programs, Ohio State, Alabama and Michigan among them. He was previously a Tennessee pledge before deciding he needed to be somewhere else.

That place has apparently turned out to be Chapel Hill, where he visited in December and came away with a very strong impression.

“I loved everything about it there,” Cotman told 247 Sports. “I can come in and make a big impact. I love how much effort they put into me. I had the best time there.

“They are getting an explosive player. I can do a lot with the ball in my hands. I’m a playmaker and you know speed kills.”